Tyler Sharp photography

I love photography. I love looking at shots that have personality and perspective.

I was fascinated when I began talking to Tyler about his travels to Africa and listening to his stories of being nearly face to face with the animals...sometimes not in the most friendly of circumstances.

I finally got around to going to his webiste. I wish he had more pictures posted, but I am very impressed:

Tyler Sharp photography

But not only is he a talented photographer, he has a great blog that is a very good read:

http://tylersharpphotography.com/blog.html

If you're more into videos, here is his youtube site with different videos from different locations around the world:

http://www.youtube.com/tylersharpphoto

Should moving out of public housing be the goal??

We've implemented a new strategy at our Roseland location. It's actually very exciting. As Central Dallas has grown, we have noticed new gaps in the system and things have been done to close those gaps...law firm, health clinic, health classes, jobs programs, technology center, housing for homeless, etc.

But in our attempt to fill in those gaps, the programs often grew out of the need we noticed, but didn't always grow as an extension of currently existing programs. Though we all see each other at monthly staff meetings, it hasn't been easy to form the connections that could bring us together in a way that makes the move from program to program seamless for our friends and neighbors accessing different services.

We wanted to find a way for parents enrolled in the After-School Academy to connect with our programs at the Roseland Community Center, our LAW Center, and our jobs program, if needed. So, we created Operation Family Fresh Start.

Of course, one of the focuses is outcomes. What is the ultimate goal for the children and the families? We looked at what families told us they wanted for themselves as well as thought about what funders want to see when they donate their money.

That part wasn't difficult. We came to the conclusion that both want the same thing...get off public assistance. Families tell us they don't want to live in public housing. They want to own their own home. They want to live in a better area for their kids. Funders want to see self-sufficient people who don't have to depend on government assistance.

I grew up in a good, conservative home. I was taught to raise my eyebrow at someone on government assistance. Though now that I know people on government assistance and have a much different perspective, I still find myself wanting people to do more to be self-sufficient.

However, the more I think about that, the more I question it. Maybe our goal should, instead, be to keep people on government assistance for at least a generation. Let me explain.

People on government assistance have a very small income. From the studies I've seen, most people in the areas I work make under $10,000/year. They make under $10,000/year because they don't have the education level, or maybe the job skills, to get a higher paying, salaried job. They grew up in neighborhoods that didn't have quality education systems. I would guess these parents are much like their children who we have in the After-School Academy...91% of the time, the kids had never been to the places we took them on field trips. Exposure to things outside of their small community, exposure to diversity, exposure to different career opportunities, etc. is limited.

We've had parents move out of the housing development where our After-School Academy (ASA) operates and they all say the same thing after they leave, "There aren't after-school programs in our new neighborhood to enroll my kids in!" or, sometimes they're available, but not affordable. Though they may have moved to a "nicer" neighborhood, their children are still not getting what they need.

Is moving out the goal?? Or should our goal be keeping families in public housing...keeping families enrolled in the ASA throughout their entire 16 years of school (including college)--exposing them to career opportunities, teaching them to properly greet others, creating field trip opportunities, walking along side parents to offer parenting information and best practices of how to keep your child and your family healthy??

It seems to me that the goal should be to keep families in the public housing where they are currently and build up the services around them to offer holistic opportunities for the entire family. By providing all of the supportive, educational, health, and spiritual services for a child's entire lifetime, when that child becomes an adult, he/she will be stronger, more knowledgeable, and more prepared. As a result, those children will not need government assistance or help from social service organizations.

Sixteen years may seem like a long time to keep people on public assistance, but we're kidding ourselves if we think that's too long. It happens anyway. The people who try to get off, often are forced to go back because of circumstances where they simply weren't prepared enough financially, educationally, or mentally, to handle the challenges associated with raising a family, working, and paying full bills.

If sixteen years can change the direction of all of the future generations of that one parent, hasn't the investment been worth it?

Roseland back-to-school event

Friday was our back-to-school event at Roseland. Lots of smiles, face-painting, jump houses, praise dancing, miming, and food.

Is God the cause of injustice?

Ever since I read Pedagogy of the Oppressed Pedagogy of the Oppressed several years ago, I have been a Paulo Freire fan.

I recently started reading Pedagogy of Hope. It's a heavy read, but there are little nuggets throughout that make it totally worth reading.

Freire believes in talking *with* the peasants in his home country of Brazil. He learned this lesson from a man who stood up and challenged him after one of his presumptuous talks to peasants explaining that they should not physically discipline their children.

Though that conversation is completely worth writing and repeating here, one that struck me was a conversation with a group of peasants who 1) thought Mr. Freire could provide them with all of the answers and 2) assumed that their life was rough because that was God's destiny for them.

In his book, he has this conversation with them:

"Fine," I had told them. "I know. You don't. But why do I know and you don't?"

"You know because you're a doctor, sir, and we're not."

"Right, I'm a doctor and you're not. But why am I a doctor and you're not?"

"Because you've gone to school, you've read things, studied things, and we haven't."

"And why have I been to school?"

"Becasue your dad could send you to school. Ours couldn't."

"And why couldn't your parents send you to school?"

"Becasue they were peasants like us."

"And what is 'being a peasant'?"

"It's not having an education...not owning anything...working from sun to sun...having no rights...having no hope."

"And why doesn't a peasant have any of this?"

"The will of God."

"And who is God?"

"The Father of us all."

"And who is a father here this evening?"

Almost all raised their hands, and said they were.

I looked around the group without saying anything. Then I picked out one of them and asked him, "How many children do you have?"

"Three."

"Would you be willing to sacrifice two of them, and make them suffer so that the other one could go to school, and have a good life, in Recife? Could you love your children that way?"

"No!"

"Well, if you," I said, "a person of flesh and bones, could not commit an injustice like that--how could God commit it? Could God really be the cause of these things?"

...

"No. God isn't the cause of all of this."

The complexities of moving to a post-racial society

I received a tweet from my friend, Shawn Williams at Dallas South.

This is an interesting addition to the story:

911 call about break-in at Professor Gates' home

Puts another twist on the story...and about our (society's) initial assumptions. Moving to a post-racial society is extremely complex and will be a difficult road.

Gates, Crowley, and President Obama's comment

I am not going to commit to a position on the Henry Louis Gates incident this week. My feelings on it are complicated and complex.

When I first heard about the incident, I knew it would be a big issue...at least in the [predominantly Black and Hispanic] communities and circles I'm in. As it started getting more press, I knew it would arouse irritations from the [predominantly White] communities and circles I connect with as well.

I nodded in agreement as I listened to Black friends talk about the issue. Though not to the extent they do, I have gained an understanding of the frustrations and skepticism of the police and White people who assert power.

Though I realize to many of my African-American friends (and possibly some of my White friends as well), it is absolutely ludicrous to say that a White person does not realize they are asserting their power and domineering over someone because of race. It seems ignorant that a White officer who has been commended for training people about racial profiling would then engage in a word battle and arrest someone who had obviously been racial profiled.

The issues are complex. Should the blame be placed on the neighbor who called? The police officer who arrested a man for being upset that he was being suspected of being a thief in his own home? The Black officers who stood by and watched? Should the blame be placed on Professor Gates for asserting his highly acclaimed socioeconomic status over the police officer?

But what about all of those episodes on Jay Leno where they take cameras around to show the absurdity of people standing by doing nothing while houses are robbed, people "kidnap" children, boyfriends are abusive, etc. So what is one to do?? Quite honestly, all of the lawn mowers that have been stolen from my house (about 3) have all been done in broad daylight while I was at work or on vacation. I wish someone would've seen them and done something!

So although it may not be a popular stance, I am in the middle on this.

However, I don't have a problem with what President Obama said. Nor do I have a problem with the frustrated conversations that are taking place...and here's why...

As I talked to a bi-racial friend of mine, she recounted an incident that impacts the way she sees this issue.

When she was 5 years old, a white police officer pulled her dad over. Her dad has very dark skin. She has very light skin and, as a child, had blonde, curly hair. After pulling her dad over, the officer immediately walked over to her side of the car and began talking to her (not her dad) and asking her, "Who is this man?" and challenging the assumption that it would be his daughter. She recalled the look of pain, shame, and hurt on her dad's face as he sat silent and she looked to him for answers. She recalled the anger and tension she felt from her dad as they drove off. She was five. She is forty now, yet she still remembers the incident very vividly.

My friend is usually much more conciliatory than I am. I can't imagine anyone ever saying she is an angry Black woman or a woman with a chip on her shoulder. However, the Gates/Crowley incident brought up very vivid memories for her. What she experienced as a five-year old child shaped her. I cannot expect that to go away. And when it happens, even though we (White people) may think it was an innocent mistake, it doesn't feel so innocent when on the receiving end.

I think the conversations need to continue. We need to talk about and listen to each other. I hope Profeesor Gates, Officer Crowley, and President Obama follow through and actually have that beer together in the White House. President Obama could potentially facilitate and encourage open race relations dialogue that would help us move forward.

Having those conversations...listening to each other...putting ourselves in someone else's shoes...thinking about perspectives from a several different viewpoints... I believe, could begin to change the way we view and make decisions about our nation and our world.

Perseverance to forge new paths

I love this picture!

Though this is not near all of the college students, these are a few of the young adults who have gone on to college...some who will be completing soon.

All of the people in this picture grew up in our Kids Kamp/University of Values program. Some were students, some volunteers, and some ultimately became the teachers of the program. (Two of them are not yet in college, but definitely plan to go).It's fun when they get together and reminisce.

As we cooked together and then played games, the students talked about lessons learned, talked about how they were passing their knowledge on to kids below them, and just had a good time laughing and getting reacquainted. Some exchanged numbers so they could help each other find jobs or provide other information.

Most of them lamented the fact that their friends from high school have taken different paths. Because of that, they no longer have much in common and much to connect on. As Lewanna explains, forged paths are easier to follow. The students above are persevering and forging the path to make things easier for those behind them.

It's the little things in life

Each Valentine's Day our After-School Academy makes super-sized rice krispy hearts and sells them as a fundraiser. We put fruity pebbles in them to make them colorful and extra tasty. My high school used to do the same thing and I always remember being so excited when someone chose to send me one.

So, to carry on that tradition, each year, I make sure each of the kids I know in college receive one. I also try to think of people who have done good things for the After-School Academy without ever asking for a thing in return.

They're just rice krispy treats. Marshmallows, rice krispies, fruity pebbles, and butter. Mixed up, molded into a heart-shape, and wrapped with saran and a few ribbons if we have them.

Yet, after receiving them, a few people I know have refused to eat them. Ashley, a college student, kept hers in her refrigerator for an entire year. I know because she showed me when I was at her house a year later. She never ate it. For all I know, she still has it.

Rana, a resident in Roseland, watches out for me when I work late. When she sees my car there late, she calls to see when I'll be leaving, then comes over to make sure I get to my car safely. She, too, refused to eat hers until one of her children mistakenly took a bite out of her prized possession. She was devastated.

They cherish their gift. They cherish the thought.

As I watched the video (below) from Tony Campolo, I thought of them. I thought about people who don't take for granted the little things they receive in life. I wondered if Ashley and Rana knew that my gift to them was as much out of my gratefulness to them as their not eating it was to show their appreciation to me.

Exposing kids at a young age

Every time I interact with kids, I realize how much they absorb when we least expect it. Some of the kids who are now young adults will mention something to me that I said or we did together that I either don't recall or didn't think was significant. It is those times when I realize how important it is to expose kids to a variety of events, concepts, and activities. All kids deserve to have a repertoire to draw from.

I heard about the Harmon and Harriet Kelley exhibit at the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth and thought it would be a great opportunity to take some kids. Tiffany, a current college student, has grown into a young adult who also appreciates these opportunities--for herself and the younger kids in her family, so I asked her to go. As expected, she brought along her two-year old niece and five-year old nephew. I took one of the kids in our summer program.

All three of the kids we took were younger than 2nd grade, but the one-on-one ratio provided the perfect opportunity to help the kids learn art museum etiquette while challenging the kids to think, observe, and critique the art.

Mr. and Mrs. Kelley chose paintings for their collection that demonstrated positive images of black people--contrary to many images that were in art during that time period. Although the kids never commented on the skin color of the people in the paintings, they recognized families, hard-working people, and other small details. I know those subtle messages Mr. and Mrs. Kelley aimed for were absorbed.

Before we went in, I asked the kids what they knew about art museums. They explained to me that it had birds, animals, and sand. I suppose they were confusing it with a zoo. When we came out, they still mentioned the birds and animals, but also understood that they were in the paintings.

When exposed, young kids can learn little lessons and make decisions about what they like and don't like...and can begin to develop the ability to hold educated conversations with people. After seeing the museum, Niemen decided, "I might work there."

The exhibit is open until August 23, 2009.

The nice White lady

Because I am White, I am sobered and always a little disturbed by videos like this one:



Though I chuckle in disdain at how we always elevate "the White lady" in heroic ways, I also feel the video is somewhat unfair. There *are* white ladies who do this. They love and inspire kids. They help students discover the power of their voices. They have a connection with the kids.

The problem is, it's not *just* white ladies who do this. I think of my friends Dave Herman, Jennifer Stimpson, Sylvia Baylor, Anna Hart, John Carter, Kevin Mondy, Anabeli Ibarra, Ramiro Luna, Liz Cedillo, and so many others who do so much to influence kids, families, community, and society.

I appreciate the comments of Eugene Cho on his post here.

Some of his comments:

• In the big picture, it’s not about the nice white lady … it’s about those with power, privilege, and opportunities, and how we share them with others to empower. Many of us who are reading this likely fall under “the have’s” rather than the “have not’s”…


• It’s not just about the nice white teacher. It’s about the students: young women and men that need opportunities, need to be lovingly challenged and encouraged, and need folks to believe and invest in them.


• The frustration is when we exclusively elevate the nice white lady when we should be praising so many of the educators in our society.

It's not at all that "the White lady" doesn't have anything to offer. There are some great teachers and mentors who have helped provide opportunities and experiences and direction that haven't been available. The problem with raising up and lauding "the White lady" is that too often we leave out or don't take time to get to know the other people who have also made such a difference in the kids' lives.

...people who have always lived in the community

...people who do what they can to inspire the kids, despite their lack of resources.

...people of color who have gone off to college, gotten their degree, and still feel the importance of returning to their old neighborhood or a similar neighborhood, to "give back"

It doesn't matter what color you are. The people who make a difference are the people who invest in kids in a real and meaningful way. And we need more of these people.